Lady A gets "Golden" in May

Tuesday, February 19, 2013 – Lady Antebellum announced this morning the group will be "Golden" come May.

At least that's the name of the trio's fourth Capitol Nashville studio album due May 7.

"This album feels to me like one of those that from start to finish could be a good road-trip record, and that's what we wanted," said Lady A's Charles Kelley on Good Morning America's New York City studio this morning. "It's one of the reasons why the term 'golden' was kind of cool. I think about road trips and driving down the road with those little streaks of sunshine popping through the trees, especially at sunset. 'Golden'...it just gives you this warm, easy feeling."

"Writing and recording this record really took us back to when we first met each other," added Hillary Scott. "When I first met the boys, we spent a lot of time around the piano at the house they lived in at the time. We didn't really know each other at all, but there was still some magic and then the harmonies - that's how it all started - that blend of our voices and that blend of our songwriting craft. So, it's exciting that even on our fourth record, we can still find that."

"The word 'golden' to me conjures up a lot of pictures," said Lady A's Dave Haywood. "In the title track, it depicts driving down the road at sunset but, to me, it also depicts a special time in our career...a 'golden,' special time for us. We definitely want to value this time in our careers because it's such a treasure that we can still sit in a room and write songs together. I personally feel so humbled to still be making records that people are excited to hear."

The new album's lead single Downtown is out and the highest charting debut.

Lady A has more than 11 million album sales, 6 career number 1 hits and 7 Grammy awards.

CD reviews for Lady Antebellum

Lady Antebellum probably needed a change in direction after "Own the Night" dropped in 2011. The material was overly geared towards taking dead aim at the radio jugular and not the best material. That isn't the case this time out on the trio's fifth release because most of the songs veer away from being obviously radio fodder (except for the current singleDowntown with its soulful beginning and strong vocals from Hillary Scott), but that also doesn't man that this was the right change. »»»

With a Lady Antebellum Christmas CD, as with any Lady A music, you know you're going to get some quality, if unspectacular recordings. Therefore, "On This Winter's Night" presents just what you'd expect from this trio, although six of the songs were out two years ago on the EP "A Merry Little Christmas."
The best cut on the CD is a cover of Donny Hathaway's This Christmas, which brings out a soulful side you never knew Lady Antebellum had. »»»

Lady Antebellum needn't worry about being third time lucky because they jumped out of the box and onto the charts from the get go. And they went off the charts so to speak with I Need You Now from their sophomore effort, but that very uneven disc contained a slew of mediocre songs and hits.
The good news about "Own the NIght" is that the material is a whole lot better. There are plenty of strong songs here with a lot of the songs sounding very radio ready.
The strength of the trio »»»

Editorial: Walking the talk –
When names like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Waylon and the Hag are invoked, you're talking hard core country. These are the touchstones of country , the guys who made country music what it was and still is (or maybe can be). When these folks would sing about being down-and-out and the rough-and-tumble, they knew of what they were singing about. Fast forward a few years to the country singers of today. »»»

Concert Review: Watkins steps out on his own –
At the ripe old age of 39, Sean Watkins is doing things a bit differently when it comes to his music. By far the biggest sign is that he is in the midst of his first ever solo headlining tour.
That may seem a bit odd almost after having released four solo albums since 2001.
But when you have your main gig being in the trio Nickel Creek, pus other... »»»

Concert Review: No surprise, Jackson and friends still Keepin' It Country –
Alan Jackson calling his current tour Keepin' It County reads like one of those 'no duh' statements because the Georgia born singer/songwriter has always kept his music traditional - even in the face of the continuing rock and pop-ization of contemporary country music. But keep it country he did once again for a sold out audience on the... »»»

Some in the mainstream country audience may only know Angaleena Presley as one of the two other singers in Miranda Lambert's side group, Pistol Annies. But to view Presley in only that limited light would be selling her severely short. For starters, Pistol Annies is a trio of extra strong female country music writers and by no means merely Lambert's side group.... »»»

Jorma Kaukonen has reached that stage in life where any break he takes is well earned and completely deserved. The 74-year-old singer/songwriter is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee for his work with Jefferson Airplane and his solo career has kept him busy - and fans deliriously happy - for an astonishing 41 years when he's not sometimes playing with Hot Tuna.... »»»

The last time Kenny Roby assembled 6 String Drag to record a new studio album, Bill Clinton had just handily secured his second term as president. That album was 1997's acclaimed "High Hat," and within months of its release, 6SD had dissolved, sadly capping a brief Americana/roots rock run that had seemed so promising after their brilliant 1994 self-titled debut...... »»»

The first album by James McMurtry in six years proves that some simply get better with age. And it opens with a gorgeous, deliberate performance, "Copper Canteen," and a line about cleaning his gun before hunting season comes to a close. From there, McMurtry looks back at his youth and the changing world today "before the pension kicks in." »»»

Over the more than 20 years since upstate (way, way upstate) New York natives Eric and Leigh Gibson debuted on the bluegrass scene, it has been more or less de rigueur for the journalists and reviewers who write about them to link them to the long and proud tradition - especially in country music in all its forms - of siblings... »»»

The Mavericks returned in 2013 with an acclaimed new album and much touring after nearly a decade's absence. Here they are back again in 2015, minus one of their founding members, but with another dynamite new effort. »»»

In the Instagram era where people use apps to turn digital snapshots into sepia-toned portraits, Steve Earle's 16th studio release finds its place with an old-school sound. It's a Polaroid of rural country, blues and bluegrass frozen in time. But instead of outdated, it plays on the nostalgia of its modern audience. »»»

Although Jorma Kaukonen will forever be bound to the enormous legacy of Jefferson Airplane, it's important to remember the gifted guitarist's tenure in the band was a mere seven years. He and bassist Jack Casady exceeded that total with Hot Tuna - which they'd started two years before leaving the Airplane - by 1978 when they released the live "Double Dose" album. »»»

With a new label backing them, Blackberry Smoke have distilled their sound to produce an album of songs that reflect the image that they have so carefully cultivated. When they were on Zac Brown's Southern Ground label, they released an exciting album full of country rock anthems that explored the depths of Southern Rock, mainstream rock, folk and even hints of soul music, much like the music of Brown himself. »»»